


Blossoming Desires

by OminousGiggle



Category: Original Work
Genre: BDSM, College, F/F, F/M, Kink Discovery, Kink Exploration, Masturbation, Multi, Other, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:42:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26666146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OminousGiggle/pseuds/OminousGiggle
Summary: Lilly Michaels, a fairly sheltered 22 year old college student, stumbles across a drawing she can't quite seem to get out of her head, promptly thrusting her down a path of exploration and self discovery as she stumbles into the world of bdsm.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. It all started with a drawing

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first bit of non-D&D campaign oriented writing I've done in close to a decade.  
> Constructive feedback regarding what you liked, didn't like, and areas that I need to improve on are greatly appreciated.

"Holy shit it's windy today." Lilly grumbles to herself, hugging her arms in close while jogging to the bus stop. "And of course you're running late and didn't think to grab your coat on your way out the door. Fuck. At least you didn't miss the bus this time!"

She reaches the bus stop, spotting the bus slowly rounding the corner towards her at the end of the block. An abrupt gust of wind rushes past, carrying with it orange and red leaves, freshly plucked from the trees along the boulevard. Her chin length blond hair is thrown about in the wind. Shivering and slightly bouncing in place, she tries to retain whatever heat she can in her short-sleeved white t-shirt and blue jeans. Fumbling with her bag, she struggles slightly to dig out her bus pass that lays buried beneath her books. With a slight screech of the brakes and a hiss from the opening bus doors, the bus presents a welcome invitation from the cold. Stepping in, she flashes the pass to the driver before flopping into a seat. Rummaging around in her bag once more, she pulls out a jumbled knot of cords, rolls her eyes, and begins untangling her headphones.

"Every damn time!" she huffs, slipping in earbuds and pulling out her phone. The melodic rhythm of orchestral music soon floods through her head as she absent mindedly gazes out the window.

A tap on her shoulder abruptly snaps her back into the moment. Looking over her shoulder, she sees the smiling face of Johnathan who is partially draped over the back of the seat beside her.

"Hey Lil, how are you doing? Haven't seen you around for a few days." he smirks and runs one of his hands through his short, spikey, brown hair.

"Oh, hey Johno." Lilly responds, pulling one of her headphones out. "I've been pretty busy between class and work, so I haven't been sticking around after school much."

"Oh, I hear you on that." he slips around from his seat behind and sits down beside her. "Though for me, it's school and sports. Did I tell you they recently nominated me to be the rugby team's captain when Dover steps down next month. He's moving back to the coast to help take care of his family. We'll miss him, but hey, you gotta do what you can for family, right?"

"Oh, that's impressive, congratulations! I'm guessing it's a lot of work though?" she replies, an uncertainty in her voice as she tries to think of what all a team captain would do. Her eyes drop down to her headphone, fidgeting with it slightly while she thinks.

"Oh, absolutely. Plenty of responsibility, but it's also a huge privilege getting to be the head and representative for the team. Speaking of rugby, we've got a game Thursday against the Eastwood Razorbacks. You should come and watch us play!"

She hesitates with each word as she responds. "Oh? This Thursday? I think I might be free?" she answers with uncertainty, biting at her bottom lip, trying to remember if she had any plans, but nothing comes to mind. With more confidence, she reaffirms "Yeah, I think I should be able to come."

"Great. Game starts at 5. After we win, we should grab a bite to eat."

"Yeah, sure, Sounds good. We can celebrate your win with the team."

The bus slows to a stop in front of the college, students filing out quickly. Johnathan smiles at her, confident and unwavering. He stands, grabbing his bag from his previous seat. "Maybe. Maybe just the two of us. Who knows. We'll figure that out Thursday. I have to hustle off though, I'll see you around!" He hops off the bus and heads towards the track field on the far side of the grounds.

As Lilly steps off the bus, she is greeted with the cold reminder that her coat is still at home as a shiver resonates through her body. Clasping her bag to her chest, she beelines for the warmth of the school. Morning classes are uneventful, passing by quickly.

Afternoon sets in while Lilly is heading from one campus building to another, crossing a large, usually bustling, field. Benches, bushes, and long flower beds adorn the sides of the pathway. On warmer days, she would often sit on the benches and lose herself in novels for hours on end. But today was no such day as a surge of wind carrying with it a spattering of moisture sweeps through, kicking up leaves from the pavement and leaving a damp chill across her skin. A sharp breath in at the sudden cold brings with it a familiar scent, the clean smell of rain. Looking into the wind, she could see the sheets of rain pouring down, the splash of raindrops crashing against the ground quickly approaching. Clasping her bag to her chest, she hurries towards the nearest gazebo, racing the wall of water rushing towards her. The rain reaches her mere seconds before she ducks into shelter, but that is all it needs to mostly soak her.

Streams of water cascade down from the edges of the octagonal roof. Lilly notices another woman in the gazebo, sitting relaxed at the table. The black gothic corset-style dress stands out, but as Lilly looks at her, she can't recall having ever noticed her at the campus before. Her long, straight black hair drapes down beside her face and along their back.

"Don't mind me. I'm just going to wait a couple minutes to see if the rain will lighten up at all." Lilly apologizes, standing off to the side.

Raising one hand, they gently tuck the hair behind their ear and look up at Lilly, revealing matte-black lips and dark purple eyeshadow, a stark contrast to their pale white skin. Lilly gulped slightly, the piercing gaze of the stranger's deep blue eyes looking her over make her feel that much more self-conscious. She nodded slightly then turned back to the table. A black leather satchel sitting open on the table, pencils, pens, and erasers organized neatly in slots on the front flap. A sketchbook, open in front of her, is the focus of this stranger's attention.

Lilly's gaze shifts to the sketchbook, peeking slightly to get a better look. Immediately her cheeks warm with blush as her eyes fall upon the drawing. In the foreground is a nude woman standing, wrists tied above her head, a blindfold covering her eyes, and a ball gag filling her mouth. A second woman stands behind her, chest pressed against her back, and a devious look of smug satisfaction on her face. Her arms wrap around her bound captive, holding her close, one hand tightly clasping her throat, tilting her head back, and the other sliding along the inside of her thigh.

Lilly abruptly turns her attention to the rain, realizing her stare has lingered on the picture much longer than she intended. It certainly wasn't her first time seeing porn, but it was something she was raised to view as taboo, even more so for anything outside of conventional sex. After several minutes, the rain lightens to a much less torrential state and Lilly decides to make her dash for the building. She steals one last look at the picture then hustles on her way.

She takes a seat on the floor against the wall outside of her next classroom, a different class currently still inside. A quick glance at her phone tells her she still has another 12 minutes until class begins. Chills settle in as her damp hair and clothes saps heat from her body.

"Hey Lilly." Amber calls out as she strolls towards her, setting her backpack down and taking a seat on the floor beside Lilly. "Oh wow. You're soaked!"

"Yeah, me being the epitome of competence was running late this morning and forgot to grab my coat."

"Here, put this on! It’s gonna be massive on you, but it should at least help warm you up a little!" Amber pulls out a large gray hoodie from her backpack and shoves it into Lilly's lap.

"Oh, really? Thank-you so much. You're a lifesaver!" Lilly pulls the hoodie on quickly, finding herself practically swimming in the fabric. "Oh wow, you weren't kidding about it being big."

Amber wraps one arm around Lilly, pulling her in for a side hug, a large smile on her face. "Well yeah, it's big on me and I'm not exactly a little twig like you."

"Hush you big beautiful babe! We both know you're the pretty one."

"And judging by your lack of coat, I'm the smart one too." Amber smirks.

Lilly looks back at her, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, I can't argue with that one. I'll bring the hoodie back for you tomorrow."

“If you remember!”

The two chat idly until it comes time to pile into class, taking their usual seats together near the middle of the room. The remainder of the school day passes by quite uneventfully. The rain has long since stopped, though the sky is still heavily overcast as Lilly heads to the bus to take her home.

She stops briefly near the front door of the apartment building to retrieve her mail. She mumbles to herself as she sorts through it. "Flyer, flyer, junk mail, no longer lives here, flyer, and bills." With each unwanted piece of mail, she drops it into a recycle bin sitting beneath the mailboxes, taking only the bills with her.

Entering her apartment, she is immediately greeted by her coat sitting on a bench right beside the door. She swears under her breath in frustration, snatching up her coat from the bench and hanging it from the doorknob.

"There, now I can't forget it! I literally cannot leave my apartment without putting my hand on it!" she huffs to herself.

After a quick bite to eat, she settles in on her couch with her textbooks and a large mug of tea, reviewing her notes from the day. After a couple hours, she turns and flops exhaustedly onto her back, staring blankly at the ceiling. She reaches over her head and the arm of the couch, feeling around blindly for a book she had left on the end table. Her fingers finally find it, followed by a thump as she accidentally pushes it off the edge. She sighs and rolls over, picking the book up off the floor, then returning to her previous position.

"Well, can't focus on school work anymore, so back into the world of Marenthal we go!" she grins as she opens the thick novel to her bookmark. For the next few hours, she loses herself in the pages of the fantasy world until, finally, an alarm on her phone drags her back into reality.

She readies herself for bed, crawls beneath the covers, and closes her eyes, though sleep does not come easy. Her mind is still aflutter with thoughts of the story she was immersed in several minutes prior. Two characters in particular she had taken a fancy to. She smiles to herself, hoping that the seeds of romance the author had sown between them would come to fruition. Blushing slightly, she imagines the two of them locked in intimate embrace. Her cheeks grow even more flushed as a very different image resurfaces in her mind. The drawing she had seen in the stranger's sketchbook earlier that day. She struggles to shake the picture from her mind, but eventually succeeds, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Just as it did while she was reading, an alarm on her phone once more tears her away from her dreams and thrusts her back into reality. She glares, squinty eyed, at her phone as she fumbles with the unlock code to turn off her alarm. She groggily drags herself from the warmth of her bed and into the bathroom for a shower.

While rinsing the shampoo from her hair, her eyes closed, the drawing once more inches its way back into her mind. She bites her bottom lip slightly, tilting her chin upwards, and wrapping her fingers slowly, gently around her neck. As she slightly tightens her grip, a shiver runs down her spine and she abruptly pulls her hand away from her throat, embarrassed.

"What am I doing?" she shudders, shaking her head and splashing water in her face, trying to clear her thoughts. "I am getting way too worked up over a damn picture!" Forcing the thoughts from her head, she hurries to get ready for school, desperately trying to keep her mind occupied. She grabs her books, uniform, and Amber's hoodie, stuffing them all into a backpack.

"Good thinking past Lilly!" she commends herself, seeing her coat hanging on the doorknob. She pulls it off and sets it beside her on the bench, sitting down and lacing up her shoes. She grabs her bag and hustles out the door, locking it behind her. A few moments later, the door unlocks as Lilly steps back in, grumbling to herself, grabs the coat from the bench, and then leaves once more.

She jogs up to the bus stop just as the bus rounds the corner at the end of the block. Once on the bus, she fumbles to untangle the jumbled headphone cords before slipping off into the distraction of orchestral music. Upon arriving at the college, she hurries off to her morning classes.

During her morning classes, despite her attempts to remain focused, her mind occasionally lingers back to the drawing. She tries, to no avail, to figure out why it is sticking in her mind so much. She sits staring at her textbook, but her thoughts are lost elsewhere.

"Lilly... Lillian... Miss Michaels!" the professor, Mr. Galmore, calls, growing louder and more irritated with each attempt.

She snaps to attention, flooding with embarrassment as she looks around the class. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit out of it. I didn't sleep well last night. Where were we again?"

"I can see that. Page 207, 3rd paragraph. Do please try to pay attention." Mr. Galmore scolds.

After getting called out, she manages to keep her attention more focused on classes. The morning classes eventually come to an end and Lilly finds herself wandering out in the field, looking for any sign of the woman drawing.

A feeling of disappointment settles in as she sees no sign of her, followed by a moment of realization and relief. What would you even do if she was out here? Walk up and say Hi, I'm Lilly! I can't stop thinking about the porn you were drawing yesterday! Yeah, I'm sure that would go over well. Lilly shakes her head at her unprepared foolishness, heads to her next class and returns Amber's hoodie to her.

The afternoon classes go smoother than the morning did. She remains more focused and keeps the invasive thoughts of the picture at bay. As classes for the day end, she grabs her bags and hustles to catch her bus to work.

The Clocktower Cafe is bustling with customers when she arrives. Ducking into the back, she quickly changes over to her uniform, a simple black polo shirt with the company logo on the back, black pants, and a burgundy apron. She joins Melany on the front and starts prepping orders. After about an hour, the rush tapers off and they are able to slow down and casually chat.

"How has school been going?" Melany inquires

"Busy, which is a bit scary considering this is supposedly the easiest year as far as course load goes." Lilly sighs. "I think part of it is just getting back into the swing of school after having taken a few years off."

"What are you taking again?"

"Bachelor's degree in Education. I want to be an English teacher."

"What made you want to become an English teacher?"

"Long story short, I've always had a love for books. I want to help ignite that appreciation for literature in others."

"What is your favorite genre?"

As Melany asks her question, Lilly turns and looks out the front window, just in time to catch a glimpse of a certain pale goth walking past the front window. Her cheeks flush red as the drawing she had been blocking from her mind suddenly surged back in.

"Ooh, I think I know." Melany grinned mischievously. "So are we talking romance or full on smut?"

Lilly's attention snaps back and she becomes even more flustered at Melany's new question. "No, no, no. You've got the wrong idea. My favorite is fantasy, especially high magic and medieval fantasy."

"Mhmmm, right, and how much banging has been going on in the book you're currently reading?"

"None!" Lilly objects immediately, turning her face away, blushing slightly and mumbling to herself under her breath. "Yet."

"What was that?" Melany teases while attempting to drape her arms over Lilly's shoulders, proving a bit more difficult than she originally expected, being at least a foot shorter than Lilly.

"It was nothing. So what about you? What tickles your fancy?"

"I don't read all that much anymore, but I used to enjoy murder mysteries. Now I scratch that itch with true crime documentaries."

Their rest of their shift passes by, chatting casually between the slow trickle of customers, until finally it was time to close up shop. Once finished, the two walk together to Melany's place, hugging briefly before parting ways, then Lilly walks the remainder of the way home alone.

Lilly hangs her coat once more on the doorknob of her apartment, remembering her moderate success this morning and determined to remember to bring it with her on the first try. She slips into her pajamas then crawls into bed, reading one more chapter in her book before the phone alarm rings forth its nightly bedtime reminder. Closing her book and settling in, her mind wanders back to her conversation with Melany and seeing the artist through the coffee shop window.

As her eyes close, the drawing resurfaces in her mind in vivid detail. She attempts to push it from her mind to no avail. Her breathing slows to a steady rhythm and she raises one hand to her throat, gently clasping her fingers around her neck. She bites her lip as she squeezes lightly, slowly inching her other hand to the brim of her pajama bottoms, shyly inching them underneath. Her eyes snap open as she jerks both hands away.

“Lilly! What are you doing! This is silly! This is wrong! Go to sleep!” she scolds herself and rolls onto her side, a wave of guilt and embarrassment flooding over her. Her heart and mind race as she tries to return to slow her breathing to its rhythmic pattern. She stares at the red numbers on her bedside clock, minute by minute the numbers ticking away until finally her eyes grow heavy and she manages to drift off to sleep.

* * *

She bolts upright in bed, eyes wide as she frantically looks around, trying to locate her phone. Finding it amidst the covers, she presses the power button, squinting at the bright screen in her bleary eyed state. The panic flooding her mind subsides and is replaced by a mixture of relief and annoyance. “Seriously brain? You couldn't let me sleep for 6 more minutes until my alarm went off? Instead you decide to jolt me awake thinking I was late? For fucks sake.”

She flops back down onto her pillow, glaring at the ceiling and grumbling to herself until her alarm finally goes off. She drags herself from the bed, beginning her usual morning routine. A shower, a quick bite to eat, forgetting her coat on the bench, having to go back for it, and then rushing to the bus stop.

Her symphonies did little to quell her frazzled mind. Between this morning's panicked awakening and her recently developing fixation, her thoughts are a disorganized jumble of guilt, curiosity, and confusion.

Johnathan plunks himself down in the seat next to her, chipper as usual first thing in the morning. "Hey Lilly. How's the week been going?"

No response

"Lilly?" he tries again, tapping her on the shoulder as well.

Still no response.

He shrugs and reaches over, pulling out one of her headphones. She startles and spins to face him, letting free a few frantic breaths before registering what was going on.

He laughs and beams his usual smile. "Yoo hoo! Earth to Lilly!"

Heart rate slowing to normal, she slaps his chest playfully with the back of her hand and laughs. "You brat! You scared the shit out of me! Didn't anyone teach you not to sneak up on people?"

"Hey now, I can't be held responsible if you're off in lala land and don't realize when I've sat right beside you and have been trying to get your attention."

She scowls playfully at him then looks down. "Sorry, it's been an off couple of days."

"It's all good, they happen to the best of us. Anything in particular that's been plaguing your mind?" He wraps his muscular arm around her shoulders, giving a light squeeze.

"Not really." She lies. "Probably just needlessly over stressing about school."

"Oh, I hear you on that. College can definitely be rough at times. But I've got confidence in your ability to get through it. You're a smart gal. Just have to take things one day at a time."

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll figure it out. It's just frustrating in the meantime."

"Still coming out to the game?" he asks.

"Yup, Thursday!" Lilly confirms.

He looks at her oddly then nods. "Yup, Thursday."

The two chat idly the remainder of the way to school then parting ways for their morning classes.

"Hey Lilly, how's your day been going?" Amber asks as she takes a seat on the floor next to Lilly outside their afternoon class.

"It's been..." Lilly starts, sighing as she stops to think.

"That bad huh?" Amber consoles Lilly, pulling her in for a hug.

"Not even bad per se, just a bit off." she pauses, hugging Amber back, then hesitating slightly, "Hey, can I ask you a weird question? Promise you won't judge me?"

Amber looks at her smugly. "I will absolutely judge you, that's what best friends are for! But I won't think any less of you for it."

Lilly chuckles, taking a deep breath and looking around to ensure no other people were close by. "What do you know about, um, choking and tying people up and stuff?"

Amber looks at her, slightly surprised, but quite amused. "Are we going to be having to hide a body after or are you talking sexy times?"

Lilly's face goes bright red as she stares at the floor, but says nothing.

"Got it. I never pictured you as a kinky one, but then again, it's usually the reserved ones that tend to go the most wild when things get hot and heavy. As far as kink goes, I don't know a whole lot myself. Have you tried looking up bdsm?"

"What's that?" Lilly asks, confused.

"Oh you sweet summer child," Amber teases, "bdsm is all the kinky bondage stuff with the ropes and whips and subs and doms and things like that."

Lilly pouts jokingly at her teasing, then returns her gaze to the floor. "I haven't looked anything like that up, though now I'm a little scared to."

"I'm sure it's not that scary. So now you get to spill the beans, what sparked this sudden interest?"

She shrugs, embarrassment now overriding the moment of boldness she managed to muster up to ask in the first place.

"Eh, you'll just have to tell me later. Also, let me know how it goes! Wait... Who are you even doing this with if you didn't know what it was?"

"No one!" Lilly blurts out, a bit louder than she intended to, quickly lowering her voice, "I mean, it's just something I'd seen and wondered about. Not something I was actually doing with anyone." Amber stares at her suspiciously, the previous class starts flooding out of the room. Lilly nervously motions to the room, trying to change the topic "Oh would you look at that! It's time for class!" Lilly snatches her bag and gets up awkwardly. Amber laughs, following after her.

Thursday afternoon classes go by quickly, though the occasional sly smirk from Amber kept bringing redness back to Lilly's cheeks. A realization that Amber found quite amusing.

After school wraps up, Lilly hurries to the busses, new found information to investigate and even more questions to answer. Hustling up the stairs to her apartment, tossing her bag and jacket haphazardly onto the bench by the door.

She plunks down at her desk, flips open her laptop, and dives headfirst down the rabbit hole of curiosity, uncertain of what she might find. Ropes, simple bondage, and choking are among the first things she hunts for. Some, elegant and artistic in nature, draw in her attention and she can't help but stare in awe at the beautiful ropework, the sensual touch of those in control, and the graceful surrender of the bound. While others, more carnal and aggressive, leave her jaw gaping in confused horror as she tries to rationalize why people would subject themselves to these things.

"Ow! Are they trying to rip her tits off?" She winces, staring at a video of a woman being flogged, weights dangling from clamps affixed to her nipples. Lilly looks down at her chest, then back up at the video, hesitates slightly, then reluctantly unclasps her bra and removes it from under her shirt. She bites her lower lip and cradles her c-cup breasts in her hands, lightly taking hold of her nipples between her fingers. She takes a deep breath then squeezes down as hard as she can.

"Son of a..." she snaps as she releases her grip and bites down on her lip once more, stifling the string of expletives about to spill forth. "Why do people do this? Fucking ow!"

Leaving that video behind, she searches for more, trying to figure out why this, of all things, has piqued her curiosity. As the internet often does, she rapidly finds herself thrust far into the extremes of bdsm with very little idea of how one ends up there. Words, phrases, titles, most without context, are thrown around, just adding to her confusion.

Eventually she stumbles upon a test that she hopes might shed some light on why she is even looking through all of this in the first place. "Finally something that should make proper sense! Just answer the questions and, if nothing else, it should give me some direction for my searches. Okay, let's go!"

"Do you like to be dominated? How should I know." she scoffs. The drawing flashes in her mind once more. "I guess of the two, I've been most fixated on the one tied up. So I guess?" Click.

"Do you like receiving pain during sex?" A quick glance down at her chest and she shakes her head. Click.

Question after question, click after click, curiosity sinking deeper with each one until finally she is presented with the results. She reads through the explanation of each option on the list, but the top three are the ones she is most intrigued with. Submissive, rope bunny, and experimentalist. "Well, now I have something specific to look into instead of just blindly clicking things."

Hours pass as she scours through page after page, video after video, and story after story. A flood of inconsistent information giving no concrete answers, at least not the ones continually fluttering about in her mind.

"I need to find her and ask her about it. She knows something about all this, so maybe she has some answers or can at least point me in the right direction." Lilly mulls over what to say when she's suddenly interrupted by her phone's alarm.

She sighs, closes her laptop, and gets ready for bed. As she lays down, a swirl of images, videos, and stories creep their way back into her head. She shifts uncomfortably, her quest for answers no longer staving off her arousal. Once more, the drawing that thrust her along this path resurfaces in her thoughts.

She closes her eyes, focusing on the drawing. Raising her hands above her head, wrists together, she pins one arm to her pillow with the other. She twists her wrists, pulling against each other, but making sure to maintain contact, struggling against the non-existent ropes her fantasy contains. She squeezes her thighs together, grinding, shifting. She can feel the dampness seeping from her eager mound.

She imagines a figure stepping up behind her, pressing against her back. The softness of their skin on hers, the warmth of their breath on her nape, and the teasing kiss of their lips trailing down her neck sends shivers running through her body. Biting her lip, she stifles a quiet moan trying to escape amidst her quivering breaths. She releases her hands from their place upon her pillow, but keeps the feeling of them pinned there firmly etched in her mind.

Her right hand trails down, caressing her right cheek with the back of her fingers, gliding gently beneath her chin before coming to rest upon her throat. Pushing her hand up against her jaw as she slightly tightens her grip, her chin tilts upwards. She presses against her throat just enough to feel slight resistance to her breathing.

Her left hand makes its way to her right breast, following its supple curve to the peak of her stiffening nipple. She traces light circles around her nipple with her middle finger before grasping and kneading her chest between her palm and slender fingers. She drags what little fingernails she has from her tit across her stomach and down to her left hip, trembling beneath the touch. Tracing her pelvic bone with the tips of her fingers, she continues down, gliding ever so lightly across her vagina.

A twinge of guilt and self-consciousness begin to itch at the back of her mind. No, fuck you! I'm going to enjoy this!

She runs her middle finger up her slit, teasing her outer lips, lubricating her finger with the juices from her eager pussy. She rubs small circles around her clit, slowly increasing the speed as the stimulation builds. She slides her hand back down to her wet folds, spreading them with her fingers. Thrusting her hips up, she plunges her middle and ring finger deep into her cunt, her toes curling at the sudden penetration.

Bucking her hips in rhythm with her hand, she strokes her insides with frantic determination. The moisture soaking her hand adds to the stimulation, creating a brief sting as her hand collides with her clit with every thrust, sending jolts of pleasure cascading towards her core.

Her breathing becomes ragged and unsteady and even more labored as she tightens her grip around her throat without realizing it. Her eyes roll back behind closed eyelids. The imagery in her mind becomes more vivid with each passing moment. Her legs clench and back arches, her left hand frantically speeding up, driving her closer and closer. She slows slightly, desperately trying to hold onto this sensation just a moment longer, before ramping up once more and pushing herself over the edge.

Panting heavily, she releases her throat. Her hands wander slightly, grasping for the sheets on her bed. Something, anything to hold onto while her hips twitch involuntarily, riding the waves of her orgasm. Slowly she opens her eyes, staring up at the ceiling.

"Oh fuck." She gasps, focusing on slowing her breathing and waiting for the room to stop spinning. Her eyes roll back slightly as she closes her eyes once more. "Well that was definitely something. I should get cleaned up." She tries to sit up, but her body refuses to budge. "Okay then, I'll do that in the morning." Her breathing settles, slowing as she eventually drifts off to sleep.


	2. A Chance Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilly, trying to sift through the information on bdsm she had discovered, finds herself once more seeking out the person who's art started it all. But Lilly's hopes don't quite play out the way she expected it to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is the first bit of non-D&D campaign oriented writing I've done in close to a decade.  
> Constructive feedback regarding what you liked, didn't like, and areas that I need to improve on are greatly appreciated.

Lilly awakes to the in incessant buzzing of her phone's morning alarm. She lays there, staring at her phone for nearly a minute, fumbling with the unlock code until finally she manages to turn it off. She drags herself from beneath her covers and hurries to the bathroom for a shower.

"Mmm. That was good." she smiles to herself, standing beneath the cascade of water, basking in the memory of the night before. It had been quite some time since she had pleasured herself and actually let herself reach orgasm. Too often guilt or self-consciousness getting in the way.

As she steps from the shower and starts drying herself off, she glances at herself in the mirror, noticing several darkened marks on her neck. "What in the hell?" she mutters to herself leaning in close to get a better look. "Where did these come fro..." she pauses, looks down at her hand then slowly raises it up, gently placing her fingers around her throat, their tips falling upon the marks. "Well fuck, I guess I got a bit too excited last night. I didn't even realize I was squeezing that hard. Hmm. I guess it's a scarf day today."

Getting dressed, she makes sure to grab a scarf, tucking it around her neck. "It's getting chilly. No one's going to notice, right?"

She plunks herself down on the bench, putting on her shoes then hustling out the door, pausing half-way through closing the door to reach back in and retrieve her coat from the bench.

Sitting down on the bus, she pulls out her headphones and is astounded to find them barely knotted at all. "This must be my lucky day!" she hums to herself as she plugs them in and turns on her music.

A little later, she feels a tap on her shoulder. "Hey Lilly." Johnathan smiles, taking a seat beside her.

"Oh hey Johno. Excited for the big game today?"

Johnathan stares at her blankly then chuckles "Lilly, what day is the game?"

"Thursday?" she hesitates with each syllable, suddenly uncertain.

"And what day is today?"

"Thursd…" she pauses, feeling her heart sink into her stomach. Her attention jolts to her phone to check the date as the moment of realization kicks in."Oh shit it's Friday!"

Johnathan starts laughing. "I should have figured you'd lost track of what day it was with how you answered yesterday."

"Shit, so I'm sorry! I said I'd come to the game then completely ditzed out!" She apologizes, her embarrassed gaze now focusing on her lap.

"It's no biggie, really." he assures her.

"I still feel bad, I swear I'll make it up to you some time!"

"If it'll ease your guilty heart, you can make it up to me some other time!" he teases, nudging her playfully with his elbow. "So since you missed out on the game, what did you get up to instead?"

Memories of her searches and her self-indulgent evening flood back into her mind. She fidgets nervously with her headphones, trying to stave off the blush she feels pushing towards her cheeks and unable to make eye contact with Johnathan. "Um, not too much. Mostly just reading and research."

"Ah the endless tale of a student. You seem chipper today at least, so you must have gotten a good sleep. You were practically a zombie yesterday."

"Yeah, some much needed rest."

"Nice scarf by the way."

 _Oh no, did he see the marks? Did I not pull the scarf up high enough?_ Her mind whirs in a panic as she sheepishly smiles, adjusting the scarf, pulling it a bit higher on her neck. "Thanks. It's getting chilly, so I figured it'd be a good idea."

"It looks good on you."

"Thanks."

The bus slows to a stop in front of the school and the two part ways for class. Lilly heads directly for a bathroom to check what all her scarf covers. A wave of uneasy relief washes over her as she confirms that it easily covers the marks _. Maybe he did just like the scarf._

Throughout her morning classes, Lilly finds herself repeatedly adjusting the scarf, tugging it up that little bit higher. Once morning classes come to an end, she hurries to the gazebo where she had seen the goth girl drawing, only to, once more, find no sign of her.

"Maybe she just doesn't frequently sit out here. Maybe it was just because it was raining and she likes the rain or something." she sighs to herself, slowly wandering to her next class.

Amber is already sitting in their usual spot outside the classroom when she arrives. "Well you're here early." Lilly plunks herself down beside her.

As the two chat, Lilly subconsciously keeps adjusting the scarf, an action that does not go unnoticed by Amber. A smirk spreads across her face as she asks "So what's the book you're currently reading about?"

"Oh, it's a fantasy adventure about a group of rebels..." Lilly brightens up and starts summarizing the story, jumping back and forth between different events that have occurred in a non-linear or sensical pattern. Once Amber is sure she's thoroughly distracted retelling the story, she reaches up and pulls down the side of the scarf, revealing the marks on Lilly's neck. "What are you doing?" Lilly asks, a brief moment passing before the realization sets in and she frantically pulls her scarf back up to cover her neck.

"So who is he?" Amber smirks.

"No one! I told you yesterday that there isn't anyone!" Lilly flusters, trying to stave off the blush she can feel rising in her cheeks.

"So the marks on your neck just magically appeared?"

"Well, no." she mumbles.

"And there's no guy you're playing with that gave them to you?"

"No."

"So you gave these to yourself?"

Lilly sits there silently, fidgeting with the strap on her bag, too embarrassed to look Amber in the eye. He shoulders sink as guilt and shame creep into her mind, her thoughts obsessing on how silly and how stupid it is that she gave herself these marks, even if it was not intentional. She suddenly feels Amber's arm wrap around her shoulder pulling her in for a side-hug.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about you know. Whether there is or isn't someone else, you're allowed to have fun. There's nothing wrong with that." Amber reassures her, petting Lilly's hair as she continues to avoid looking Amber in the eyes. "As long as you enjoyed yourself, that's all that matters."

Lilly reaches around Amber, hugging her tight, finding some respite from her thoughts in Amber's words.

Amber hugs her a bit tighter then pipes up. "So back to the story, you were telling me about Eldwyn and Isabella getting chased by the guard. How did they manage to escape?" Amber smiles as she sees Lilly's body and mood shift once more, regaining her vigor and diving back into where she had left off, continuing to explain the story until class began.

As classes come to an end, Lilly makes her way to the Clocktower Cafe for work. Melany is on shift already and after changing into her uniform, accented by her scarf, Lilly joins her to handle the rush of mostly college students stopping in on their way home from school. After a couple hours, it tapers off as usual.

"Hey Lilly, can you watch the front while I put away our delivery?" Melany asks, looking at the stacks of boxes lining their narrow back hallway. "Oh, and don't forget to restock the front displays!"

"Sure, if you need help, let me know." Lilly answers.

Lilly's back is to the counter as she pulls a package of coffee beans down from one of the shelves. As she turns around, her hands tremble slightly, the package dropping from her hands, hitting the floor with a solid thud. Standing in front of her is the goth girl whose artwork had been so frequently invading her recent thoughts.

 _Oh shit it's her!_ Lilly's face goes a bit pale as her mind races, trying to think of what to say. Thoughts of the image also rush back in, flooding her cheeks with blush.

"Are you okay?" She asks Lilly, watching her freeze in place.

"Oh, um, yes, sorry." Lilly fumbles with her words. _Oh shit! What do I say! How do I ask her about it! Shit! Lilly! Act normal! She's here for a coffee! Say something!_ "Welcome to Clocktower Cafe, how may I serve you?" she blurts out, and as the words left her lips that she realized what she was saying and that it was already too late to stop it. Panic wells up inside her as she stammers out "I mean what can I get for you?" Ho _w may I serve you? SERVE YOU!? What the hell Lilly!_

She watches the range of emotions from shock, to embarrassment, to panic, and back to embarrassment flooding across Lilly's face. She stands there silently amused for several moments, letting it drag on that little bit longer before finally answering. "Just a large London Fog, thanks."

Lilly fumbles with the till, taking longer than normal to find the drink and ring it through. "Can I get your name?"

"Evelynne." she answers.

"Feel free to take a seat and I'll bring it over once it's ready!"

As Evelynne walks away, Lilly's mind is a flutter with a whirlwind of thoughts. Scolding herself for her embarrassing display of minimal composure, trying to think of a way to ask about bdsm in a tactful manner, and desperately trying to not mess up the drink. Once it is ready, she carries it carefully to her table.

"Here you go Evelynne, one large London Fog." Lilly smiles as she places down the drink.

"You serve well." Evelynne replies, a slight smirk to her darkened lips as she locks eye contact with Lilly, watching for her reaction.

Lilly's eyes go wide and her gaze immediately drops to the floor, her face turning bright red. "Enjoy your drink!" She yelps then quickly scurries into the back room.

"Whoah, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Melany asks as Lilly bursts in.

"Mhmm." Lilly mumbles. "Fine."

Lilly plunks down on a box, hiding her face in her hands, focusing on her breathing. Melany takes a quick peek out front, seeing only Evelynne sitting at a table, a book open in front of her. She returns to the back and squats down in front of Lilly.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

Lilly takes several deep breaths and nods. "I just made an idiot of myself, it's fine."

Melany laughs, patting Lilly on the back and stands upright. "So, business as usual, huh?"

Lilly scowls childishly. "Hush! You're not wrong, but still. Hush!"

"Do you need me to cover the front for a bit while you take a breather?"

"No, I'll be fine." Lilly sighs, wishing that Melany would insist.

"Alright. Let me know if you need help." Melany returns to unpacking and sorting the weekend order.

Lilly hesitates briefly before returning to the front. She keeps herself occupied restocking displays and trying to avoid making eye contact with Evelynne. Her plan is going great until she hears the clink of a cup on the counter behind her. Turning around, Evelynne stands before her once more, her bag over her shoulder and a sketchbook in hand. The silent tension between them bears down on Lilly for what seems to her like an eternity.

Evelynne breaks the silence. "About my comment, I was just joking around. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Lilly chokes out. Evelynne nods to her and turns to leave. Lilly pauses, takes a deep breath and calls out, boldly at first, but confidence waning with every word. "Actually, can I ask you a, um, super awkward question?"

Evelynne stops, looking back over her shoulder, shrugs, and walks back to the counter. "Sure. But before you ask, no, black isn't my natural hair color, no, I don't worship the devil, yes, it was a long climb up here from hell, and naked dancing in the woods covered in the blood of virgins only happens on Tuesdays."

Lilly stands there dumbfounded, jaw slightly agape as she tries processing what she just heard. She shakes her head to refocus, searching for what shreds of courage she had left. Her face goes red as she stares down at the counter, fidgeting with Evelynne's mug. "Um, actually, I was wondering if you could help explain bdsm to me."

"You figure that since I'm a goth I must be into all the kinky shit too?"

Lilly's heart sinks into her stomach, struggling to salvage her dignity. "I'm sorry. I saw you drawing in your sketchbook earlier this week and just assumed."

She hears a thump as something hits the counter. She looks up slightly at the sketchbook now laying open before her. The drawing she had been working on was now complete. Ropes criss-crossing down the bound woman's body. The image shaded in blacks, whites, and grays, save for the vibrant red gloves worn by the woman behind. Lilly's attention abruptly snaps up to Evelynne's grinning face as she closes the sketchbook. 

"I mean, your assumption wasn't wrong." She gives Lilly a devious smirk and pulls a business card from her bag and hands it to her. "Look, I've got work I need to get done tonight so I need to head out, but give me a call tomorrow at noon and we can chat."

Lilly nods, looking over the business card once Evelynne leaves the cafe. It has the image of a full moon cresting the horizon, behind a black silhouette forest. Scrawled across the top of the card in an elegant golden font is written 'New Horizons'. The back of the card is solid black with a gold lettered list including Evelynne Thompson, Graphic designer, her e-mail, website, and phone number.

"Why is there a pack of coffee beans on the floor?" Melany asks as she picks it up, setting it on the counter beside Lilly with a thump. Lilly jumps, having not realized that Melany was out on front with her. Melany starts laughing as Lilly spins around to face her. "What's with the business card?"

"Oh, uh, someone gave it to me and asked me to give them a call." Lilly stammers.

Melany grins from ear to ear, prying deeper with a barrage of questions. "Oh? Is he cute? Are you going to call him? Is this for a date or just a booty call?"

"What are you talking about? It's for art stuff, not a date!" Lilly objects, barely managing to piece together a plausible excuse.

Melany snatches the business card from her, turning it over in her hands then looking up at Lilly suspiciously. "Well that's a lot less fun. And here I hoped I'd get to watch you swooning over someone."

"Wait, what, why?"

"Oh come on, you're cute when you get flustered. I bet watching you pining after someone would be adorable." She grins smugly and hands the business card back to Lilly.

"Nope, no swooning. You'll have to get your kicks some other way."

"I know a couple of cute guys I could set you up with!"

"What? No!"

The rest of the shift goes by slowly, Melany playfully teasing Lilly through most of it. It eventually comes to a close and, as usual, they walk together to Melany's place before parting ways.

Upon arriving home, Lilly lays on the couch, business card in hand, turning it over and over. "Tomorrow at noon, that's just over twelve hours away. It's just a phone call, you can do this. She's agreed to explain all this to me, but I should be prepared! I can't just tell her to explain everything, can I? No, I should write down some questions."

She hops up off the couch and hustling to her desk, opening her laptop and firing up a blank text document. She quickly begins typing out a plethora of questions. Some are hyper-specific, relating to things she had seen and read, though most are more vague, focusing on general aspects of bdsm or at least what she understood of them. It doesn't take long before she has several pages of questions, neatly organized into different topics.

She jumps as her alarm rings out. Grabbing her phone, she dismisses the alarm and stares at the clock, 1:00 am. "I should set alarms for tomorrow." She sets one for noon. "But what if noon hits and I'd lost track of time and am in the middle of something? I should set another one earlier just to be safe." She sets a second alarm ten minutes prior. Her mind is suddenly flooded with what ifs, and soon she has seven different alarms set, counting down to when she needs to call.

Once in bed, falling asleep proves to be a troublesome task. She tosses and turns, trying to get comfy as her mind races about the rapidly approaching phone call. Exhaustion eventually sets in after a couple hours, finally allowing her to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Morning welcomes her with the blaring sound of her phone's alarm. Groggily she fails multiple times to enter the correct unlock code before being able to turn off the 8am alarm. She lays flat on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling. "I am so tired." she grumbles. Her eyes drift closed once more and sleep overtakes her.

She stirs, slowly waking up. "Mmmm, that's much better." she murmurs to herself. Her eyes suddenly go wide as she panics and scrambles to find her phone. Relief sweeps over her as the screen lights up, the clock reading 10:47 am.

She pulls herself out of bed, takes a quick a shower, starts a kettle for tea, and occupies herself with tidying up her apartment. Each chore an intentional distraction from the looming phone call.

An alarm goes off, 11:30. "Okay Lilly, only half an hour left until you call. It's just a phone call, you can do this! Just keep tidying up until it's time."

Another alarm, 11:45. "She said she'd answer our questions. I hope she doesn't get annoyed with how many questions I have."

11:50 "Maybe I should call her a few minutes early? No, that's a bad idea. She said noon. I don't want to come across as overanxious."

11:55 "Five more minutes! It's almost time. I can do this!" She sits down at her computer, biting her lip and making sure she has everything ready.

11:57 "Maybe I should call a couple minutes late? You know, like fashionably late, but not too late? Give myself a little extra time to prepare. No Lilly! She's going to explain things. I shouldn't keep her waiting!"

11:59 "Oh fuck, only a minute left. Shit, I don't know if I can do this. No, I have to!" Lilly punches in the number into her phone, checking and rechecking that she entered it correctly.

12:00 Taking a deep breath and biting her bottom lip, she hits the send button. _I can do this! It'll be fine!_ RING! _What if she changed her mind? Maybe I should just hang up?_ RING! Her finger hovers over the end call button, taking a deep breath. RING!

"Right at noon, well done." Evelynne's voice pours through the phone, calm, confident.

A knot immediately ties itself in Lilly's throat. "Um, thanks." she manages to stammer out.

"So, it dawned on me after I left that this is a conversation that really would be better done in person. Are you busy today?"

"No, I have the day off." Lilly answers, suddenly caught off guard. "I have some studying I need to get done this evening, but that's about it."

"Well then, if you're comfortable with it, would you like to come over and we can sit and talk over a drink? Or if you'd rather, we can meet somewhere more public. The choice is yours."

Lilly's mind races. She had psyched herself up for a phone call, but now plans had changed without warning at the last second. She mulls over the options silently.

"If you're not comfortable with it, there's no obligation." Evelynne reassures calmly.

"No, um," Lilly blurts out, worried that if she loses this chance, she won't have another, "your place is fine. I don't think this is a conversation I could have with a bunch of people around."

"Excellent. I'll text you my address and you can come over as soon as you're ready. I'll see you soon."

Her phone buzzes as Evelynne's address lights up her screen. Lilly frantically scurries around her apartment, trying to get ready. "What am I getting myself into? What do I even wear?" She rummages through her dresser, finally settling on a light blue t-shirt and black jeans. "Is there anything else I need? No, I think I should be fine. We're just talking, right?" She hurries out the door. Moments later, she barges back in, grumbling as she scoops her coat off the bench.

She stands impatiently at the bus stop for several minutes before remembering it is Saturday and the buses in her area run on a reduced schedule. She calls for a cab and returns to the front door of the apartment building to wait.

She climbs into the back of the cab and reads off the address. Lilly's mind is whirring with a hurricane of panicked thoughts. _What's going to happen? We're just going to talk, right? But what if she's expecting more? Could I say no? Would I even want to say no? But she's a woman, I'm not sure if that's something I'm comfortable with. Would she even care? Would she just force me to submit_ ? The more her mind runs wild, the more she considers telling the cab driver to take her home. The cab ride is both too slow, feeling as if it is taking forever for her to get there, and too fast, not leaving her enough time to collect her thoughts. _Maybe I should cancel and go home? Yeah, I think that might be the best..._

"We're here." The cab driver calls back to her, snapping her into the moment and interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh, um, thank-you" She responds, voice trembling slightly.

She pays the fare and steps out into the brisk autumn air. Double checking the address on her phone, she looks at the house numbers to confirm she was at the right place.

The outside of the house is fairly plain. A two storey building with a waist high fence around the small front lawn and a small gated stone walkway leading to the a deep red door. Dark brown wooden panels make up the majority of the walls, a lighter brown trim wrapping around the base of the house. A large bay window protrudes from the front wall, mirrored panes making it practically impossible to see in.

She swallows hard and nervously approaches the door, knocking three times. Seconds pass, feeling like hours, before the distinct clunk of a deadbolt being unlocked rings forth. Lilly holds her breath as the door opens. Beyond it stands Evelynne wearing the same black corset-style dress as she had been when Lilly first encountered her. Her matte black lips curl into a warm smile. "Come on in."


End file.
